Target firearm with blow back breech bolt and safety latch therefor



Dec. 15, 1970 B, H, sw so ETAL 3,546,803

TARGET FIREARM WITH BLOW BACK BREECH BOLT AND SAFETY LATCH THEREFOR Filed Aug. '7, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I9 322 FIG. 1

FIG. 3

INVENTORS. BERNARD H. SWANSON J g HIV T1 WALKER A T TORNE Y5 Dec. 15, 1970 SWANSQN ETAL 3,546,803 TARGET FIREARM WITH BLOW BACK BREECH BOLT AND Filed Aug. '7, 1968 SAFETY LATCH THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. s WANSON vr ll BERNARD H.

JOHN '1: WALKER 4/ cflz/mo/wwg jw A T TOR/V5 Y5 United States Patent US. CI. 42-16 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A single shot target firearm including a frame mounting a barrel which defines a chamber at its rear end, and a tubular receiver portion carrying a recoil spring operated breech bolt movable between a forward chamber closing position and a pair of rearwardly spaced loading and cocked positions. A firing pin is fixed on the breech bolt, a trigger actuated sear is operative to hold the breech bolt in cocked position, and a safety latch member engages the breech bolt and holds the same in the loading position.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a target firearm which utilizes a minimum number of parts, which may be quickly and easily assembled and reassembled, and which may be manufactured at a low cost.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a target firearm which when once fired, may be reloaded by merely inserting a fresh cartridge, and without the necessity for manually opening the cartridge receiving chamber.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an automatically operated safety latch for positively preventing accidental firing by trigger pull during the loading operation.

To the above ends, we provide a firearm comprising a rigid one-piece frame defining a cartridge receiving opening, barrel mounting means forwardly of the opening, and a tubular receiver portion rearwardly of the opening. A recoil spring operated breech bolt, having a firing pin fixed to its front end, is axially movable in the receiver portion between a forward firing position abutting the rear end of a barrel mounted in the frame, and a pair of spaced loading and cocked positions rearwardly of the firing position. A safety latch and a trigger actuated sear are operative to hold the breech bolt in its loading and cocked positions respectively, release of the safety latch permitting the recoil spring to move the breech bolt forwardly into cocked position in engagement with the sear. A single pair of screws anchors the frame to a onepiece stock including grip and fore-end portions, the arrangement being such, that removal of the pair of screws and a single cross pin from the tubular receiver portion enables the firearm to be disassembled in a mat ter of a few seconds, reassembly of the parts being easily 7 and quickly accomplished.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS ice tions taken on the lines 7-7 and 88 respectively of FIG.

FIGS. 9 and are views in perspective of the trigger and sear respectively of this invention.

FIG. 11 is a view in perspective of the breech bolt of this invention;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are views in side and end elevations respectively of a cover plate;

FIG. 14 is a view in side elevation of a modified form of the frame and barrel; and

FIG. is a view in longitudinal section of the frame and barrel of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to target rifles, as well as pistols and, for the purpose of disclosure, 9. target pistol is shown in the drawings. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. ll3, a unitary frame element 1 includes a front barrel mounting portion 2 and a rear tubular receiver portion 3 cooperating with the barrel mounting portion 2 to define an opening 4 therebetween. The frame element 1 further defines a trigger guard 5 and front and rear mounting lugs 6 and 7 respectively. A one-piece stock 8 comprises a fore-end portion 9 and a grip portion 10 that is rigidly secured to the frame element 1 by machine screws 11 and 12 screw threaded into the bosses 6 and 7 respectively, through openings 13 and 14 in the fore-end and grip portions 9 and 10 respectively.

Preferably, the frame element 1 is molded or die cast of a zinc based alloy or similar material, the barrel mounting portion 2 being molded around a rifled barrel 15, the barrel 15 defining a pair of longitudinally spaced annular grooves 16 that receive the frame material, so that the barrel 15 is securely anchored in place. The rear end portion of the barrel 15 terminates at the front end of the opening 4, and is formed to provide a counterbored cartridge receiving chamber portion 17. The frame element 1 is further formed to provide a front sight 18, the receiver portion 3 having mounted thereon a rear sight 19 that is preferably adjustable for both elevation and windage. The rear sight 19 is of the conventional type usually found on target pistols. The rear end of the receiver portion '3 is provided with a stop plug 20, the receiver portion 3 and stop plug 20 being cross-drilled to slidably receive an anchoring pin 21 for releasably holding the stop plug 20 in place.

An elongated cylindrical breech bolt 22 is axially slidably mounted within the tubular receiver 3, and has a closed from end 23 and an open rear end 24, the breech bolt 22 being movable between a forward position in abutting relationship with the rear end of the barrel 15 to close the chamber 17, as shown by full lines in FIG. 6, and a pair of axially spaced rearward positions as shown by full and dotted lines in FIG. 5. A firing pin 25 is fixed to and projects forwardly from the closed front end 23, and projects into the counterbored portion of the chamber 17 when the breech bolt 22 is in its forward firing position of FIG. 6. The breech bolt 22 is axially aligned with the barrel 15, and the firing pin 25, which is preferably integrally formed with the breech bolt 22, is displaced from the axis of the breech bolt 22 for use with rim fire cartridges. With a firearm using center fire cartridges, the firing pin 25 is disposed on the common axis of the breech bolt 22 and barrel 15. A retainer plug 26 is disposed within the breech bolt 22, adjacent the closed end 23 thereof, and recoil spring 27 is interposed between the stop plug 20 and retainer plug 26, to yieldingly urge the breech bolt 22 toward its fully advanced or firing position against the rear end of the barrel 15.

The breech bolt 22 is releasably held in its rearwardmost or loading position, shown by full lines in FIG. 5, by a safety latch member in the nature of a cross sectionally rectangular bar 28 that is axially slidably mounted in aligned transverse passages 29 and 30 in the receiver portion 3 and stock 8 respectively, see particularly FIG. 7. As there shown, the passage 30 has a closed end in the stock 8, a coil compression spring 31 being disposed in the closed end of the passage 30 and yieldingly urging the latch member or bar axially outwardly of the passages 29 and 30. The latch member 28 is formed intermediate its ends with an upwardly opening notch 32, one end of which defines a lug portion 33 that is receivable in a recess 34 in the sidewall of the breech bolt 22. It will be noted that the aligned passages 29 and 30 are so disposed relative to the breech bolt 22 that a portion of the breech bolt 22 moves transversely through the notch 32, and that the spring 31 urges the lug 33 into the recess 34 when the recess 34 is in register with the passage 29 at the rearmost position of the breech bolt 22. The breech bolt 22 is released for recoil spring imparted forward movement by manually exerting axial pressure on the outer exposed end of the latch member 28 against bias of the spring 31.

A breech bolt handle 35 comprises a knob portion 36 having a reduced neck portion 37, an axial stem portion 38 of less diameter than that of the neck portion 37, and a head portion 39 having a diameter substantially equal to that of the neck portion 37. The head portion 39 and adjacent end of the stem portion 37 are received in aligned transverse openings 40 in the breech block 22, the stem portion 38 being received in a forwardly opening slot or groove 41 in the retainer plug 26. The handle 35 is used to initially move the breech bolt 22 rearwardly to its rearmost or loading position against bias of the recoil spring 27. Thereafter, the firing of a cartridge causes the breech bolt 22 to be automatically moved to its rearmost or loading position shown by full lines in FIG. 5, as will be hereinafter described.

A trigger 42 and a cooperating sear 43 are disposed in the lower portion 44 of the opening 4, said lower portion 44 being partially closed by a cover element 45. The cover element 45 is provided with a pair of laterally inwardly projecting bosses 46 and 47, the former of which has its free end seated in a recess 48 in the frame element 1, and the latter of which cooperates with a boss 49 that projects transversely of the frame element 1 in axial alignment with the boss 47 to pivotally mount the trigger 42. The sear 43 is pivotally mounted on a transverse stud or boss 50 integrally formed with the frame element 1, and has an abutment portion 51 that is adapted to engage the front end 23 of the breech bolt 22 to releasably hold the breech bolt 22 in a cocked position slightly forwardly of its loading position, as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 5. The trigger 42 and sear 43 are yieldingly urged toward positions shown in FIG. 5, wherein the abutment portion 51 is disposed in the path of travel of the breech bolt 22, by a coil compression spring 52 having its opposite ends mounted on retaining fingers or the like 53 and 54 on the trigger and sear respectively. The trigger 42 is formed to provide a cam portion 55 that engages a cooperating surface portion 56 on the sear 43, to move the sear in a direction to release the breech bolt 22, when the trigger 42 is pulled, for recoil spring imparted movement of the breech bolt 22 to its firing position of FIG. 6. The trigger 42 and sear 43 are held in place in the opening portion 44 by the cover 45, the cover 45 being releasably held in place by the stock 8, as shown in FIG. 8. A tail portion 57 of the trigger 42 engages the frame element 1 at the bottom of the opening 4 to limit pivotal movement of the trigger 42 in a forward or counterclockwise direction with respect to FIGS. and 6, pivotal movement of the sear 43 in a clockwise direction with respect to FIGS. 5 and 6 being limited by engagement with the trigger 42 adjacent the cam portion 55 thereof, as shown in FIG. 5.

In operation, assuming that the above-described firearm is unloaded, the user grasps the knob portion 36 and pulls the same rearwardly until the recess 34 of the breech bolt 22 moves into register with the passage 29 in the frame 1, at which time the safety latch member 28 is spring pressed into locking engagement with the breech bolt 22 in its loading position. During rearward movement of the breech bolt 22, the same moves rearwardly of the abutment portion 51 of the sear 43, permitting the spring 52 to move the sear 43 and trigger 42 to their breech bolt holding positions of FIG. 5. A cartridge, not shown, is then inserted into the chamber 17, after which the latch member 28 is manually pressed laterally inwardly to release the breech bolt 22 which moves forwardly, under bias of the recoil spring 27, into its cocked position wherein the front end 23 thereof engages the abutment portion 51 of the sear 43. The pistol is then aimed and fired in the usual manner by pulling the trigger 42, releasing the breech bolt 22 rearwardly to move the sear 43 to a breech bolt release position shown in FIG. 6 for spring imparted forward movement into engagement with the rear end of the barrel 15, whereupon the fixed firing pin strikes the cap or primer portion of the cartridge with suflicient force to discharge the same. As is well known to those familiar with firearms, discharge of the cartridge primer or cap ignites the powder charge in the cartridge. The expansion of gases of combustion in the cartridge not only propels the bullet thereof forwardly through the barrel 15, but also exerts a recoil force rearwardly against the cartridge shell and breech bolt 22 to blow the shell rearwardly of the chamber 17 and move the breech bolt 22 rearwardly against bias of the recoil spring 27, to a point where the latch member 28 automatically locks the breech bolt 22 in its loading position, the combustion gases escaping upwardly through the opening 4 tending to carry the empty shell outwardly through said opening 4. The pistol is then automatically ready to be reloaded. Should the empty shell fail to be carried away by the gases and remain within the frame element 1 rearwardly of the barrel, it may be removed by merely inverting the pistol, permitting the shell to drop therefrom by gravity. It is important to note that, when the breech bolt 22 is held in its loading position by the safety latch member 28, the pistol cannot be accidentally discharged by pulling on the trigger 42, inasmuch as the sear 43 does not engage the breech bolt 22 in its loading position. After each firing, the safety latch member 28 must be pressed inwardly to permit the breech bolt 22 to advance to its cocked position.

An important feature of this invention resides in the simplicity of its construction and in the ease with which the same may be disassembled for cleaning and oiling, and reassembled for use. To disassemble the pistol, the anchoring pin 21 is first withdrawn from the stop plug 20 and receiver portion 3, permitting the stop plug 20 and recoil spring 27 to drop rearwardly outwardly from the receiver portion 3 and breech bolt 22 when the pistol is tilted rearwardly downwardly. The retained plug 26, which is loosely received in the breech bolt 22 will also drop therefrom and out of engagement with the handle stem portion 38, permitting the handle to be withdrawn from the breech bolt 22. Then, when the safety latch member 28 is pressed inwardly to disengage the lug 33 from the recess 34, the breech bolt 22 may be slidably moved rearwardly out of the receiver portion 3. The latch member 28 may then be manually withdrawn from the aligned passages 29 and 30. With removal of the safety latch member 28, the stock 8 may be disassembled from the frame 1 by removing the screws 11 and 12, after which the cover may be lifted out of engagement with the frame element 1 and the trigger 42 and sear 43 drawn axially out of engagement with their respective bosses 49 and 50. The pistol is reassembled in the reverse order. Thus, it will be seen that a screw driver and a punch or nail are all that are required for complete disassembly and reassembly of the pistol.

The modified form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15 comprises a frame element 58 that is quite similar to the frame element 1, but which is adapted to removably mount a barrel 59. In this form of the invention, the frame element 58 is provided with a screw threaded opening 60 for reception of the screw threaded rear end portion 61 of the barrel 59, the frame element 58 further including a forwardly projecting rib 62 disposed in overlying spaced relation to the barrel 59 to provide ventilation therebetween. At its front end, the rib 62 is formed to provide a front sight 63 and a barrel supporting ring 64. With this arrangement, the barrel 59 may be easily removed from the frame element 58 providing for interchangeability with barrels of different lengths and calibers. The rear end portion of the frame element 58, including the mounting lugs and trigger guard is identical to that of the frame element 1, and parts thereof corresponding to similar parts of the frame element 1 are identified by the same reference numerals, prime marks added.

A target pistol or rifle made in accordance with this invention may be produced at extremely low cost, by utilizing die castings, stamped and turned parts, and by making the stock 8 of molded synthetic plastic material. A target pistol produced in accordance with this invention has been found to be extremely accurate and durable in its operation.

What is claimed is:

1. A target firearm comprising:

(a) a unitary frame element including a barrel mounting portion and a tubular receiver portion rearwardly of the barrel mounting portion, said frame element defining a cartridge and firing mechanism receiving opening intermediate said receiver portion and barrel mounting portion,

(b) a tubular barrel mounted in said barrel mounting portion and defining a cartridge receiving chamber at its rear end adjacent said frame element opening,

(0) an elongated breech bolt mounted for axial sliding movements in said receiver portion and having a front end movable forwardly into and rearwardly away from abutting engagement with said rear end of the barrel to alternately open and close said chamber,

(d) a firing pin fixed to and projecting forwardly of said front end of the breech bolt,

(e) yielding means urging said breech bolt toward said engagement thereof with the barrel,

(f) a cover element for a portion of said opening mounted on said frame element,

(s) a g (h) a trigger operated sear engaging said breech bolt to releasably hold said breech bolt in a partially retracted cocked position rearwardly spaced from said barrel,

(i) means mounting said sear and trigger in said opening for pivotal movements between breech bolt holding and release positions relative to said frame element and breech bolt,

(j) and spring means urging said sear and trigger toward said breech bolt holding positions thereof.

2. The target firearm defined in claim 1, in which said spring means comprises a single coil compression spring interposed between cooperating portions of said scar and trigger, said sear having an abutment portion engaging the front end of said breech bolt, said sear and trigger having cooperating cam surface portions operative to impart breech bolt releasing movement to the sear responsive to firing movement of the trigger against yielding bias of the compression spring therebetween.

3. The target firearm defined in claim 1, characterized by a one-piece stock means including grip and fore-end portions having seating engagement with said receiver and barrel mounting portions respectively, and a pair of mounting screws anchoring said grip and fore-end portions to the receiver and barrel mounting portions respectively, said pair of mounting screws being the sole means for anchoring the stock means to said frame.

4. The target firearm defined in claim 1, characterized by a safety latch member mounted in said frame element for movements toward and away from latching engagement with said breech bolt for automatically and releasably holding said breech bolt in a fully retracted loading position rearwardly of said cocked position thereof.

5. The target firearm defined in claim 4, in which said safety latch member includes a breech bolt engaging lug portion Within said frame element and a manually engageable portion projecting outwardly of said frame element, characterized by yielding means urging said safety latch member in a direction to move said lug portion toward latching engagement with said bolt.

6. The target firearm defined in claim 1 in which said breech bolt comprises a tubular member having a closed front end and an open rear end, characterized by a plug element removably mounted in the rear end of said tubular receiver portion, said first mentioned yielding means comprising a recoil spring extending within said breech bolt and having one end engaging said plug element.

7. The target firearm defined in claim 6, in which said firing pin is integrally formed with said breech bolt and projects forwardly thereof.

8. The target firearm defined in claim 6 characterized by a cooking handle projecting transversely outwardly of said frame element opening and comprising a knob portion and a stern portion having an enlarged head on its end opposite said handle portion, said breech bolt having a transverse opening therethrough rearwardly of the closed end thereof for reception of said head, and in further combination with a retainer element interposed between said recoil spring and the closed end of the breech bolt, said retainer element having a forwardly opening notch for reception of the stem portion of said cocking handle, whereby to hold the cocking handle against movement transversely of said breech bolt.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,405,765 2/1922 Diehm 4216 2,406,493 8/1946 Dunn 4269 2,848,831 8/1958 McLaughlin 42-16 2,882,634 4/1959 Smith 4216 2,940,202 6/1960 Harper 4216 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner C. T. JORDAN, Assistant Examiner U.S. CI. X.R. 4269 

